Operations Director

About the role

GSB creates, protects and grows wealth ethically and responsibly, working with private banks and institutions to provide banking, investment and credit solutions for high net worth clients. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Operations Director is a senior leadership role responsible for keeping the business running smoothly and ensuring clients receive a consistently high-quality, efficient and responsive experience. The role leads the operational and support teams and owns the end-to-end client journey, from onboarding through transactions to ongoing servicing.

Key responsibilities

• Lead operational and support teams and own the client journey, removing delays, duplication and friction
• Build scalable, well-controlled processes with clear service standards, ownership and escalation routes
• Use management information to spot bottlenecks and capacity issues early
• Work with advisers, Middle Office, Client Impact, Compliance and Risk to keep operations efficient, resilient and aligned with regulatory requirements
• Use technology, AI and automation as key tools
• Oversee key suppliers, manage operational budgets and report performance, risks and priorities to the CEO and ExCo

Required profile

• UAE-based, with strong knowledge of the UAE financial services environment
• Significant operational leadership experience in regulated financial services, ideally wealth management or financial advisory
• Experience in a DFSA-regulated environment and practical knowledge of operating within the DIFC (required)
• Experience in an FCA-regulated environment (required)
• A relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent senior-level experience

Required skills

• Proven track record of improving processes, service standards and operational controls
• Experience integrating technology, AI and automation to improve operational performance
• Strong understanding of the client lifecycle, operational risk, regulatory controls and business continuity
• Commercial awareness, including managing suppliers, projects and budgets
• Excellent problem-solving and stakeholder management skills